Borko Popic - 4/24/2008

Strengths: A fabulous athlete with an NBA ready body... Completed one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history, as a freshman His length, quickness, jumping ability and strength combine to make him one of the most difficult match ups He has range from anywhere on the floor all the way out to NBA three, but is especially effective with his soft touch around the rim, where he uses both hands to finish with a variety of moves His left handed jump shot is a thing of beauty, with a smooth release, he has good arc and is very balanced getting his legs under him to get great elevation Most dangerous out of the mid-post where he can square his man up, and attack with a variety of moves; including strong takes to the hoop, a nice midrange pull-up, or simply shooting over the top of helpless defenders From the triple threat his jabs and shot fakes are extremely efficient because he not only has a quick first step, but also a very long one that allows him to get by people at will When the defender tries to beat him to the spot, he has a terrific spin move that is virtually unstoppable His post game has progressed nicely, and he has shown a nice touch on a variety of hook-shots and fadeaways ... He fights hard to get good position on the block, and even harder when crashing the O glass, as seen by the 4 offensive rebounds that he averaged per game His ability to play the passing lanes and come over weakside to block shots, further adds to his ability to fill the stat sheet A strong personality with great confidence who never gets down on himself. There are few doubts about him becoming a bigtime impact talent at the next level ...

Weaknesses: Even though he has great length and body strength, he is somewhat undersized for the PF spot at the next level His perimeter skills, while effective against weaker competition, may not be refined enough to allow him to move over to the SF position just yet, so there are some question marks regarding his position His game is based on sheer athleticism and strength, but his actual basketball skills can use some refinement Going right he is very shaky, and struggles dribbling the ball more than twice with his right hand He has decent footwork in the post, but an overall lack of go-to moves, forces him to at times get out of control and to leave his feet and throw up some ill-advised shots, although his ability to create in these situations is remarkable His mentality is to score no matter how many people are guarding him, countless times, he would find himself facing a double or even triple team, yet he would still opt to shoot instead of finding an open teammate. Something that can be at least partially attributed to a lack of quality teammates Averaged a measly 1.2 assists per game, which may not only be a testament to his scoring mentality, but also to his marginal vision His decision making is also suspect at times, he gets into trouble by trying to do too much, then attempts to throw difficult passes Defensively, he has come a long way from simply wondering around the court, but that doesnt mean that he is by any means a stopper just yet. He has the potential to be an incredible defender, but he has yet to show the willingness to get nasty and play with the same effort on that end of the floor Man to man, he is decent and shows improved desire but can improve From a team standpoint, he is still not very good at reading angles and being in good help position but that should come with experience There is some concern about his work ethic and whether cashing huge checks before the age of 19 will have an effect on his motor.

Notes: His on-court demeanor has looked very good throughout the year, as he has shown no signs of the previous attitude problems Off the court he has matured very nicely as well, and most of the problems that have plagued him throughout high-school seem to have dissipated

Drew Wolin - 2/15/2007

Strengths: Incredibly diverse and refined offensive game Strong inside/outside skills From the block, he can give you a drop step, jump hook, and/or fade-away He can post up 15 feet out and take his man off the dribble, pop a J in the defender's eye, take a fade-away, or find a cutting teammate He can catch and shoot from anywhere out to 25 feet Has great range on his shot He can bring the ball up the court and go to work on his man or find open teammates Very good on the break. Big time athlete with great explosiveness - a powerful dunker Makes a habit of producing highlight reel dunks Excellent body control Lefty with good length and great body strength Has a definite swagger on the court. Brash. Has a big personality and presence Very aggressive player, who intimidates most players on the high school level. Gets inside the heads of his opponents Has a nastiness to his game, that you like to see Can be a huge intimidator, because he will back-up anything he says

Weaknesses: Maturity. Some feel that he has an attitude problem, and lacks the discipline to be coached A year under Bob Huggins should help him considerably Defense and effort. He occasionally coasts through entire games There is a theory that he is so much better than his competition that he gets bored Incredibly, he will literally walk through warm-ups and appear to play at less than half speed, and still easily be the most dominant player on the court against prep school teams with 7+ division one players From watching him play, you would think that he has a bad attitude, though his coaches say he is a hard worker in practice (which explains his advanced offensive arsenal) Puts in very little effort on defense at this point, though does block shots thanks to his athleticism, timing, and size Could eventually become a decent defender, though will never be his calling card The game comes so easily to him, some wonder if he's willing to work to be the player he can be

Aran Smith & Benjamin Egger - 1/16/2006

Strengths: Versatile forward with a long wingspan and great body strength An elite level athlete, really gets high off the floor ... Has an excellent inside/outside game, with the ability to bang down low as well as face the basket and drive or shoot ... Has all the physical skills one would want, size, handle, shot Plays the game with a swagger, high level of confidence ... He can step out to 18 ft and knock down the J and his 3 point shot is gaining consistency Good form on his stroke Has the handle and strength to drive the lane, almost at will, and can finish once he gets there Tremendous rebounder, snatches boards above the box ...

Weaknesses: The game almost comes too easily to him, he must prove he's willing to work hard to continue improving ... Doesn't fit a position especially well, but has the size and speed to play both forward positions effectively ... A little slow footed for the perimeter, and closer to 6-8 than 6-9 ... He shows flashes of immense talent to be a big time NBA player, but must continue to work on many parts of his game ... Still has a lot of work to do before he becomes a consistent player, especially mentally Lacks the ability to elevate the play of his teammates, his vision and passing skills are just average ... Can get frustrated when things aren't going well, needs maturity, mental toughness ... Play can become lazy and unfocused at times Lacks consistency While his game can be dominant against other HS players, it's yet to be developed against top level competition ...